Open Floor Plan : A Concept

Open floor plan is wrongly perceived as a modern concept. It was interestingly introduced in the late 19th century dating back to the Queen Anne homes as seen for example in the Watts Sherman House and Prairie homes designed by the architect Frank Llyod Wright. This turn of layout of a home from defined rooms,that were traditionally separated from one another with walls & doors, to connected spaces is seen as a landmark of open layout, a concept denoting a change in the living behaviours of people. It encouraged a more laid back, casual & an interactive environment. A big departure from the more formal segregated lifestyle of the yester days.The modern view of an open concept is a focus on aesthetics, entertainment, and a fit into modern society. Modern living proposes a do-it-yourself, hands and feet doing different tasks at a given point in time, a catch & run for the day kind of lifestyle . Open floor plans - a multipurpose room if you will, help support this living style that most of us embrace in our daily lives.

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The beauty of an open floor plan is the connectivity & transparency it creates in our movements, attendance & interactions. There are no rooms. Walls are left to a minimum and  "spaces" need to be segregated by their function; the most common being living vs dining vs kitchen. Delineating these spaces as separate but yet unify them visually can be challenging. The trick is to take a concept & apply it through all of the spaces. The concept can be style, color & texture or may be just a vibe with eclecticity taking the prominence. It's a choice. And this choice should be what works for you & your family at a personal level, on an everyday basis. Magazines & TV shows can be inspirations that should be limited to just that & not copied to match. When it comes to furnishings for an open floor plan, using the center of a space should be the go to, rather than pushing things against the wall. This enhances the concept & allows for less unused/wasted corners. It opens up the mind to think outside the box not just in the way things are laid out but actually welcomes new innovative ways to use spaces/s.

All in all, an open floor plan is a fun way of engaging togetherness in a family allowing them to hang out together & have more conversations. Is this not what we all build a home for at the end of the day :)

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